The Sight of You (Oda Joseph Love Story)
by Kagura Hale
Summary: Trapped in her own mind is the least of her problems. What happens when the imaginary clashes with reality but no one will believe her that the things she's seeing are actually REAL and can very likely put her life in danger. Everyone else's solution? Throw her in a padded cell and forget she's even there.
1. Prologue

"Let me go! I'm not crazy! I'M NOT CRAZY! They were there, I swear! I know they were there! I didn't make it up… Why don't you believe me?! Please! I didn't make it up! I know what I saw!" It didn't matter how much I screamed, no one would hear my pleas. No one cared. And they never would.

I would be locked away in a padded cell, a slit for a window at the top of the wall would let it just a small ray of light, and my arms would be wrapped around me in a straight jacket so that I wouldn't ' _hurt myself_ '. It was all with my best interest in mind and for my well being, remember, for I surely didn't know what that was for myself.

For lack of a better word, I would forever be described as Beacon Mental Hospital's lunatic; the one who sees and hears things that ' _aren't really there_ '. Of course, I know they're really there, I know they're real, and every night, I pray to whatever god will listen that it remains that I am the only one to experience these horrors as I would never wish it on anyone. Not even my worst enemy.

Every morning, at precisely what I would consider to be eight o' clock-as there were no clocks in my cell to tell me-a nurse would bring me breakfast and feed it to me. I was never allowed out of my jacket for the harm I might do to ' _myself_ '. Then she would ask me if I needed to use the rest room, help me if I did or leave if I didn't. At exactly what I would consider to be one o' clock in the afternoon, maybe it was a little later, a different nurse would bring me lunch, ask me the same question, then leave. Mind you, I wasn't eating five course meals. They were simple rations meant to provide us with the sustenance a human being needs to survive, but they only filled the void, and they tasted rather bland. Then, at what I considered to be around seven o' clock at night, dinner was brought to me, fed to me, I was asked the same question, and then left alone. Ten o' clock is when it was lights out, and everything grew rather dark. Every day was like this, and every day to come would be like this.

This is how it had been for the last year since my arrival, and how it would be ultimately until my death. For I know they'll never let me go. I shall never be permitted to leave this place in my physical body.

But on the rare occasion, I'd say every month or so, someone would come into my cell and read to me. Bland, tasteless books and horrible remakes of history, rewritten to be more of an enjoyable read for out disintegrating society and for those with a small attention span and no taste for real literature, were the highlights of my new life. I eagerly looked forward to that one, single day where someone would come and sit as far away from me as they could in my little cell, and read to me. Helping me escape, if only for a little bit, the harsh reality that I was stuck in.

And every night, the things I had fought so hard to keep at bay, would swarm me and torment me, even in my sleep. Not only would I hear the constant chatter of what sounded like hundreds of whispers at once, but I would also see the horrors of everyone's deepest and darkest fears made real. The gruesome sights only appeared when I was alone, so as to make sure no one else would see. For they enjoyed my suffering in knowing that it pained me greatly that no one would believe me so long as they didn't see. Because, as is human nature, we only really believe in what we can experience with our five senses. To see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. And if we cannot experience it with any of those, then it cannot exist, right? As we would have no way to explain it or tell someone what it was like.

And that is the root of my problem.


	2. Chapter 1: Everything Falls Into Place

"All units, all units; 11-99 expedite cover code 3. Beacon Mental Hospital." The woman's voice over the radio blared in the police car.

The driver answered the call and spoke into the little handie-talkie to communicate with the dispatcher. "184 copy; code 3. ETA three minutes."

The dispatcher responded, "Copy 184."

"Sorry detectives, I know you were just comin' off a case but I'm afraid we're going to have to make a detour." The driver said to his passengers, switching on the siren of the police vehicle.

In the back seat, a guy with dark hair and glasses spoke up. "Sounds serious. Is it a riot?"

"Call went out just before I picked you up." The driver replied. "Said it was 'multiple homocides'. Half a dozen units already on-scene. Maybe it's the ghost of that doctor who went schizo and chopped up all those patients."

The man in the back seat didn't seemed fazed by the drivers response, "That's not what happened. Some patients disappeared. Some kind of scandal?"

The driver shrugged. "Still, gives you the creeps, doesn't it?"

The radio then went off again as the car sped down the weirdly empty road. "127, 124, please respond…"

In the passenger seat, sat a grungy, thirty-eight year old man who looked like he'd seen a lot in his days and needed to seriously consider possibly retiring before he spiraled into depression. "Joseph, you think there's a connection?" He asked to the man with glasses in the back seat.

"It's a possibility. I believe the records were sealed." Joseph said.

"Anyone on scene, please respond…" The radio blared.

The man in the passenger seat picked up the handie-talkie. "Dispatch this is detective Castellanos in 184, what's the situation, over?"

"184 be advised, some problems…" static started to break up what the dispatcher was saying, "at Beacon Memorial… radio…"

Castellanos went to reply, "Is there any-" but a loud ringing that everyone swore would make their ears bleed suddenly sounded and everyone clutched at the sides of their heads to try and make it stop.

"Jesus!" The driver shouted as the loud ringing was also making his vision blur from the pain of it and he swerved in the road before gaining control again when the ringing finally died away.

Castellanos closed his eyes tightly and pressed on his temple to try to regain some of his composure before opening his eyes again and looking behind him to the backseat. "Junior Detective Kidman, any thoughts?" He asked to the girl with strange purple eyes sitting next to Joseph who had been oddly quiet for the whole drive.

"Nothing yet." She said, looking out the window to the buildings that were flying by from how fast the driver was going. "I'm sure we'll know everything once we get there."

The remainder of the car ride was filled with silence until they reached Beacon Mental Hospital, and the air seemed unusually tense as everyone was wary of what they thought they might find when they arrived. It was also extremely peculiar that the roads were so empty in such a big city. Usually around this time, well at any time really, Krimson City was bustling with all kinds of traffic.

"What do you make of it?" Joseph asked when they got out of the car and looked up at the towering building that was Beacon Mental Hospital. There were police cars everywhere, as well as a couple bodies littering the ground here and there. The whole place was a mess.

Castellanos had walked towards the building a few feet before looking back at the police car he had just gotten out of, "Connelly," he said to the driver, "contact dispatch and let them know what's happening." Then he turned to the other two, "Joseph, Kidman, you're with me. We're going to have a look around." Then the three of them moved out, leaving a stunned Conelly behind who hadn't really processed everything he was looking at yet.

When the three of them reached the front doors of the old hospital and pushed them open, a horrible smell wafted their way, causing everyone to cover their noses for a bit.

Joseph groaned, "Smells like blood."

"Alright, stay sharp." Castellanos then turned to Kidman as Joseph walked inside. "We're going to check it out. Don't let anyone else through these doors."

She seemed irritated at that, "I can be an extra set of eyes."

"We don't know what's happening here. You're our backup." Then he entered the bulding after Joseph and shut the doors behind him. And all at once, he was bombarded with sights and smells no one should ever have to experience.

The entire floor was littered with dead bodies and blood everywhere. It was a massacre. The entire sight of it, as well as the god awful smell of metal and blood, was revolting. Castellanos and Joseph could hardly stand it, but it was up to them to determine what had happened here.

A faint noise sounded, almost like glass breaking, "Did you hear something?" Joseph whispered before stealthily making his way behind the reception desk to the security room where the sound had originated. "Someone's alive in here…"

Castellanos followed suit and found a man in a white doctor coat, sitting down, leaning against the wall, blood everywhere. "Are you alright? What happened here?"

The man was old and seemed to be in shock, he paid no attention to the two before them and seemed to ignore them entirely. "Can't be real… Impossible… Ruvik is…"

"I've got him," Joseph said, realizing they weren't going to get anywhere with this guy, "The security cameras might tell us something…"

Castellanos agreed and moved away from the two to the far end of the room that was covered in monitors and a desk full of buttons and switches. He rewound them a bit and watched the most recent recording before they arrived. Three policemen with their guns aimed at one end of a hallways were running from something. They seemed panicked and scared. From what? It wasn't clear. Then another man showed up, cloaked, and moved with inhuman speed and quickly sliced the throats of the three policemen before looking up at the camera that had just captured the scene before disappearing. Castellanos was confused and didn't entirely understand what he had just witnessed. By all accounts it didn't make sense.

But when he turned around, right behind him was the cloaked man.

From Joseph's point of view, this man had appeared out of thin air, grabbed Castellanos, and then disappeared with him. And just like that, they were gone. In the heat of the moment, Joseph helped the old man up quickly and took him to Kidman waiting outside. "What's going on?" She asked when Joseph had shoved the doors open and nearly hit her.

"I'll explain later, just watch him." Joseph said as he handed the old man to her. "I need to go after Sebastian."

"Wait! My patient! Where's Leslie?!" The old man shouted, trying to go run back inside.

"No!" Joseph held him back, "Stay here, I'll go look for Leslie."

"He-he get's frightened easily, I don't want anything to happen to him!"

"Okay, just stay here." Joseph looked to Kidman to make sure she had a hold on him and that she was watching the old doctor, then he went back inside to look for the doctor's patient, Leslie, as well as Sebastian.

Everything had happened so quickly it was hard to really know what was going on, but Joseph knew that something was seriously wrong. He only hoped that he could find Sebastian and this Leslie before they ended up dead like everyone else seemed to be in this place. Although, the constant bombardment of the sight of dead bodies and all the blood did little to lift his spirits.


	3. Chapter 2: Unveiled

You could go over it a thousand times in your mind and still not understand why you are now where you are. For the last year or so, every single day they tormented you, they never physically interacted with you. Mentally, you were falling apart at the seams. Physically, you were at the peak of health, there was absolutely nothing wrong with you. That thought made you laugh, in all of your life, not once had anyone ever said that there was nothing wrong with you. You were a lunatic, insane. What other reason would they lock you up and throw away the key for? Not even the people that were biologically considered your family had even once visited you since they handed you over. No, you were very much unhealthy, and very much alone.

And yet, on the contrary to what you know, here they had taken you: dumped in the middle of nowhere, a massive, throbbing headache, and the pulsating light generating from a lighthouse that looked close by, but also seemed incredibly far away. The terrors that haunted you, screeched in pleasure at your fear, where had they taken you?

You knew, without a doubt, you were no longer at Beacon Mental Hospital. No longer in Krimson City. Nothing in this place looked familiar; a rundown dock overlooked the lake nearby, perfectly lined up with the lighthouse on the other side of the water, ruins of what might have been basic houses littered the area, overgrown with forestry, and, what you noticed most of all, miraculously you were no longer in a straight jacket.

Over and over and over again you played the most recent memories you could recall in your mind. How had you gotten here? You remember the morning starting out like normal: nurse came into your room with food, asked that same damn question in that same damn emotionless tone-do you need to use the restroom?-and the afternoon was the same as well… Everything happened before nightfall. You remember… You remember sounds… gun shots? Was there fighting? It had been too hard to tell through the padded walls of your little cell. There had been a shriek of horror outside your door, followed by loud popping sounds-definitely gunfire-followed by a loud thud of something big crashing into your door, but the door didn't budge and you didn't have the energy to get up and see what was going on through the small window that graced your confinement with the option to ' _see into the outside world_ '. Not that there was much to see.

You shook your head, _focus!_

After all that… well, there was nothing after that. You couldn't remember a thing. After the loud sound had resonated shortly against the padded walls before being absorbed into them and replacing the room with silence, there had been a faint jiggle of the outside handle of your door, and then… everything went black. There was nothing more you could remember, no matter how hard you tried.

Replacing your straight jacket, the clothes you had been wearing on your first day being admitted to Beacon Mental Hospital, before they had strapped you into that god awful shirt-prison mind you. You remembered that day well…

Everything was the same as it had always been. Mother eyed you warily, tired of hearing your ridiculous stories of monsters visiting you at night, as you ate your morning bowl of cereal. You weren't a child, you were an adult of twenty-six and you didn't know why she still treated you like an adolescent. You told her about the monsters so she could understand you, but you reassured her at every chance that you would NEVER hurt anyone, or yourself, and you would make sure the monsters left the ones you loved alone. Which they did, thankfully, but it didn't turn out for the better quite like you had hoped. Still, even though your family didn't love you the way you did them, it was comforting to know that being away from them kept them safe from the things that tormented you at every waking moment of ever day and night.

There had been a knock on the door that interrupted breakfast. Your father looked up at you from across the table over the top of his morning paper and your sister to your left ignored you completely-like she always did. To her, you were a freak and she'd die before she ever introduced you to her new fiancé or any of her friends. If you put that into first person, those were basically her exact words. You didn't mind thought. What she didn't know is that you were keeping her safe from the evil that haunted you so that she COULD live the normal lifestyle she loved so dearly.

Your mother greeted someone at the front door, allowing them inside, and then calling your name. _Someone is here to see you_ , she said, sweetness dripping from her voice like a poison. Your father told you not to worry about cleaning up your place, that he would take care of it, so you padded into the living room only to be restrained by two men. You thrashed and screamed, you remember, before being escorted out of your home and into a car. Your mother didn't even watch you leave. The moment you were out the door she slammed it shut and that was the last you saw of your family. And moments later, Beacon Mental Hospital loomed before you like your grave.

Your hands smoothed over your white baby doll blouse down to the dark denim of your jeans and your eyes glazed over the maroon slippers your mother had purchased for you a week before you had been taken. You felt your eyes well with tears as the memories flooded your mind but you didn't know why you were crying. You had long since accepted that what had happened was for the best and crying about it, no matter how much you missed your family, would not make anything better.

Standing out in the open like you were, everything really started to set in. This was REAL, you weren't hallucinating, the nurses hadn't given you any drugs, and you could freely move around so clearly you weren't restrained anymore.

There was a crunching of leaves sounding nearby and you looked in the direction it came from to see a person walking towards you. They were dragging their feet, moving very slowly, and having a hard time breathing it seemed. You felt concern, but that was instantly replaced with caution.

You took a step back, wanting to call out to the person to ask if they were okay but not being able to find your voice as fear began to consume you.

When they were close enough, you saw the person's features vividly. Gashes and fleshy bubbles were its skin, crusted blood covered its features and red eyes stared threateningly at you. It gave off a loud grunt before running and then lunging itself at you. Caught off guard, you fell backwards, attempting to fight off the creature atop you in a losing battle. A year in solitude, no source of exercise, you were weak, your frame thin, and your resolve almost nonexistent.

You screamed as you saw the monster's jaw unhinge and gape at you, coming closer to tear out the side of your neck. But then it was thrown off you, and two loud popping sounds echoed off the ruined buildings around you.

"Are you okay?" You stared dumbfounded at the heap of flesh a few feet away that had almost taken your life, then up to the man standing before you, his glass reflecting the moonlight and light from the lighthouse not far away. He held out a hand for you to take but you just stared at it. "I'm not going to hurt you." He added after a moment's pause. Cautiously you took his hand and he pulled you up to your feet before holstering his gun and taking a good look at you. "What's your name?" When you didn't answer at first he took a different approach. "My name is Joseph, I'm a detective in Krimson City."

With the upmost extreme caution, you told him your name and then the two of you shook hands. You didn't trust him, not in the slightest, but this was the first time in your whole life that you had laid eyes on a man that wasn't in your family. And what freaked you out most was the pounding of your heart against your chest and the odd feeling that you wanted to be around this guy. He made you feel… safe.

And honestly, you couldn't take being alone anymore.

His company was a very welcome change.


	4. Chapter 3: Resting

Joseph and you decided on sticking together after what had just happened. With not knowing what was going on or even where either of you were, it was best not to be alone. For safety reasons as well as sanity reasons.

"So, where do you come from?" Joseph asked, trying to spark up conversation after the long, awkward silence that seemed to surround the two of you. It wasn't that you didn't want to talk, more that you just didn't know what to say. For the last year you hadn't spoken a word to anyone so you were a little out of practice.

The two of you were walking around at this point, trying to find a way out. But what you seemed to notice was that… you were going in circles. No matter how far away either of you seemed to get, the dock over the lake and the lighthouse didn't seem to move. Almost like they were following you. Even the buildings were the same. It was confusing.

An odd crunch underfoot made you stop walking and look down to see a piece of paper you had just stepped on. You picked it up carefully, afraid it might fall apart, and read the short note that was on it: " ** _When did they put a lighthouse on the lake? Has it always been there? That circling light passes over me, passes through me… I feel like it takes something away each time. I can't remember what it was though_** **"**

You had no idea who this belonged to but you could definitely understand the feeling this person was expressing. Every time you looked at that lighthouse and the beam circled around and washed over you for that brief second, it felt like you were losing something. Put you couldn't put your finger on what.

"Are you okay?" Joseph asked after noticing you stopped walking with him.

"I'm fine." You answered back, crumpling up the paper and throwing it aside.

"I noticed we're going in circles, but if we go this way, I think we might find a way out." He pointed in the direction that some screams had originated from a few minutes ago. You didn't like the idea, but it made a lot of sense. Neither of you had seen anyone-or anything-in a while and if someone was screaming, that might lead the two of you to a new place, away from the dreadful lighthouse.

 _Give in, give in, give in, give in, give in…_ Those dreadful whispers were back. You pressed your hands over your ears to try and block them out, but, as they were all in your head, it did little to help. You whimpered as you stumbled over your feet to keep walking.

"Hey," Joseph caught you just before you fell to the ground, "what's wrong?" but you just continued to whimper at the onslaught of voices in your head. Joseph decided then that it would be a good idea to rest and he looked around for a safe place the two of you could hide out for a while. Being out in the open, with you like this, was definitely not a good idea.

The abandoned building Joseph picked creaked loudly as the wind blew outside. The wood floorboards were rotting, as well as the walls and roof, and vines were already starting to overtake the place. It wasn't much, but it was out of sight.

It was eerie.

Joseph lied you down on the ground and pressed the back of his hand to your forehead. You had a slight fever, clearly not an ideal situation. After about a few minutes, you had even fallen asleep, but that sleep seemed troubled by unseen terrors that Joseph couldn't even begin to comprehend.

He sat down next to you and sighed, looking worriedly at you as your facial expression looked strained, almost in pain, at whatever nightmare you were experiencing. He wanted to wake you up, to comfort you, but you needed the sleep. Especially if you wanted to break this fever. Your body just needed time to adjust.

Joseph pulled a notebook from one of his pockets and wrote something down in it; describing the day's events so he could keep track of everything. It was hard to focus on anything but you, though. The whimpering continued even in your sleep and Joseph found himself pressing his palm to your forehead and brushing your hair upwards and out of your face. He hoped dearly that you wouldn't turn into one of those things. One of those monsters out there that would jump at even the slightest chance to kill either of you.

He'd barely known you, but already he felt a keen sense to keep you safe and protected. Plus, he didn't want to be alone out here either.


	5. Chapter 4: Bonding

The screaming woke you up. A god awful shrieking that tore through the night. You couldn't tell if you were imagining it or not, still being drowsy from sleeping. Joseph was quicker to react than you, however, as he was already on his feet and had a finger to his lips to tell you to be quiet. Your heart was pounding though and you felt like you were on the verge of hyperventilating; not a good sign. Joseph knelt down beside you and hugged you to his chest to cal you down, stroking your hair soothingly as he looked around. The last thing he needed right now was for you to have a panic attack.

When a couple minutes had past, your breathing regulated and you felt yourself calm down. When you stopped shaking in Joseph's arms, he let you go and quietly stood back up to scout the area. You watched him go as you climbed to your feet and ran a hand through your hair, embarrassed that something so small had set you off.

"I think the coast is clear," Joseph whispered as he came back to you. "If we're quiet, and careful, we can start moving again." He gave you a once over then, "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," you said, brushing some dirt off you from lying on the ground.

Joseph nodded, pausing only a moment to convince himself that you were okay before turning around to exit the doorway that-once upon a time-used to have a door. Afraid of getting left behind, you rushed quietly after him and grabbed his hand, holding on tightly, afraid he would leave you. Joseph looked back when he felt your small hand slip into his and, for a moment, you thought he'd pull away, but he just gave you a reassuring smile and pulled you along as you both made your way outside.

It was very silent, now. The air felt dead and a chill ran down your spine. Joseph and you slinked through some stomach-high bushes and, painstakingly slowly, made your way in the direction you both had planned on going towards earlier before you had broken down.

It was slow going and everything was really starting to set in that you could very much be stuck here forever. You had no idea where you were, no idea if any of this was even real, and no one but Joseph to keep you company.

You smiled.

You weren't in the mental hospital anymore, you weren't in a straight jacket anymore, you were free! As free as you dreamed you would be one day! And you weren't alone anymore; Joseph was here with you, keeping you safe. Keeping you company. And suddenly, things were looking up. In fact, being out here in the middle of nowhere, monsters chasing you, the fresh air, it was liberating. You would take all of this over being in that padded cell any day. At least out here you were living.

"There it is." Joseph whispered as you both crouched in a bush and looked to what seemed like a giant gate at the far end of more ruined buildings. That had to be the ticket out of here.

"But…" You didn't know quite how to voice your concern about the couple or so creatures you saw walking around. Not to mention the ones you couldn't see; no doubt there had to be more in the buildings themselves.

"I know," Joseph said. He looked around, trying to think of a plan when his gaze fell on an empty glass bottle nearby. He picked it up, feeling its weight in his hand when an idea finally came. "Okay, I'm going to throw this." He started and you just stared warily at him. "Hopefully they'll go check out what the noise was and then we can make a break for that gate."

You looked at him like he was crazy, "I don't-"

"Trust me." He reassured, putting a hand on your shoulder. Then he pulled his arm back and threw the bottle as far as he could away from the gate. There was a loud crash as the glass broke and the creatures snapped their heads in the sound's direction before sprinting off towards it to investigate. "Now's our chance." You weren't feeling confident about the plan, but when Joseph grabbed your hand, you didn't have time to protest.

The two of you stealthily made your way towards the gate, half crouching, half running your way there. You couldn't believe that plan had actually worked. You made a mental note to maybe not doubt Joseph so much next time.

It was a surprise when one of the creatures caught your leg and you tripped, falling down, face first, into the dirt. How had you not seen this one just lying on the ground? It was growling at you, face a fleshy mess of weird bubbles and dried up blood. It was decaying and sinister. It had a hold of your ankle.

You cried out, not knowing what to do. You kicked at the monster, trying to break its hold of you but nothing was working. Then you regretted making any noise when another monster came out of one of the nearby ruined buildings and snarled at you. Then it ran. It was so close, it was coming close, and all you could do was clench your eyes shut.

There were a coupled loud popping sounds followed by Joseph grabbing you under your shoulder and hauling you up and dragging you through the gate with him. Behind the both of you, you heard the shrieks of the other monsters that had been distracted by the glass bottle as they rushed after the two of you. Joseph had little time to think as he looked around quickly. He noticed a mechanism that obviously was holding the gate open to his side and shot the chain holding the heavy door up. It came crashing down, kicking up dirt into the air and making you and Joseph cough. The heavy door had crushed two of the creatures, splitting their bodies in half, and kept the rest locked out on the other side as they growled and what they couldn't reach.

"Come on," Joseph exclaimed, pulling you with him by your hand. He didn't want to stay another second around those things, let alone see the dismembered bodies he was afraid might come alive again and attack either of you.

When the two of you were safe, a good mile away from whatever those things actually were, Joseph decided to stop running. You both were panting and you had made him stop several times along the way so you could catch your breath. You weren't athletically fit, a year in solitude made you pretty weak, so you had been amazed that you hadn't collapsed from exhaustion yet.

"Can we… take a break…?" You panted, leaning over with your hands on your knees and your head hanging, taking in deep breathes.

"Sure," Joseph said, looking for a suitable place to bunker down for the rest of the night.

 _Kill him…_

You shook the troubling thoughts away. Your demons might have gotten to you all those years ago that **_ONE_** time, but you were not ever going to let it happen again. You were stronger than that.

"Over here." Joseph waved you over to a semi decent building that seemed abandoned. You silently prayed that it was and for once since all this started, maybe the two of you could truly rest. Much to your astonishment, there was a single room with a bed in it. No blankets or pillows but it would be a step up from sleeping on the ground. "You take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

It was a full bed though… "You could sleep on the bed with me?" You didn't know if that was the right thing to say, maybe he would take it wrong. When he looked like he was going to protest, you went on, "There's enough room for both of us and there's no reason for you to be uncomfortable. We both need to be well rested and you won't get that on the floor." It was the most you had ever said since all this started and when he just stared at you, you suddenly wished you hadn't said anything. You imagined he thought what you said was stupid and you began wishing you could take it back.

"Okay," he finally said and you silently breathed a sigh of relief.

As the two of you awkwardly settled into the bed together, you felt the urge to thank Joseph. You hadn't expressed your gratitude at all and he had saved you twice now. In one day. You rolled over to your side then, facing Joseph on the other side of the bed. "Thank you," you said softly, "for saving me." Then you kissed him on the cheek and rolled to your other side, facing away from him.

You never saw him blush or smile but you heard him when he replied "you're welcome, it was my pleasure."


	6. Chapter 5: Confessions

You woke up this time to the silence. The dead air fell heavily around you and with nothing else to listen to, there was a faint ringing in your ears to fill the void. The first thing you actually noticed, however, was that-sometime while the two of you had been sleeping-you had rolled over to cuddle Joseph, your head and hand on his chest as well as one of his arms around you. You wondered when that might have happened and worried what he might think or say when he woke up. But Joseph must have been having a bad dream because his grip around you was tight and there was no way you'd be able to pry yourself free without waking him up. And you didn't know if you should wake him up. You sighed to yourself and mentally went over all the recent events in your head.

 _Kill him… You know you want to… It'd be so easy… He's asleep and can't fight back…_ Those voices were back, tormenting you. They got a lot of enjoyment out of your pain. Then you felt something graze over your skin and turned your head to see a slim, boney, pale hand clutching at your upper arm. Your gaze traveled the length of the arm up to see a face inches from your own, covered in long black hair. You could practically feel its breath on you. Your scream caught in your throat and you didn't dare tear your gaze away to wake Joseph, afraid the monster might kill you if you made any sudden moves. And, truth be told, you didn't know if this was your imagination or if it was real. The demons that haunted you liked to play with your imagination, and more often than not, that's all they were; a part of your imagination. But as its grip tightened on your arm, you knew it was real.

Then the beast screamed.

Ear piercing and at a note high enough to shatter glass. Menacing.

"JOSEPH!" You screamed. He woke with a jolt and immediately turned his head, groggily, to his left to see you and also this monster that had you in its clutches. His immediate, instinctive, reaction was to pull out his gun, shoot the hideous thing, and scoop you away with one arm and run away. The creature shrieked and threw its head around. All four of its human-like arms flung up and it clutched at its face with its gangly fingers where Joseph had shot it. However, it was unharmed.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Joseph shouted, running down a hallway with you by his side.

"I don't know!" you cried, "I woke up and it was right next to me!"

You ran until you were tired-out of the building, past a few more, out of the greenery that was the forest, and now in another place that seemed like a small city. You didn't even know how far you ran, the adrenaline (and fear) kept you from really thinking clearly. Where were you now?

"In there!" Joseph said as he pulled you into a pretty well maintained, small house. There were cracks in the walls and the linoleum on the floor was peeling, but it was decent enough, and after a quick sweep of the house, it was also safe.

It didn't look like that monster had been following you, but since Joseph saw it too, you knew it was actually real and not just all in your head. That was a little reassuring, knowing you weren't completely crazy, but it was also frightening, knowing that that… thing… could have actually killed you had it wanted to. Or maybe it was playing with you?

You shivered and wandered the house, looking at each of the rooms. It was almost like someone still lived here, out on vacation for a while but leaving all the important things at home. All the beds were made except for the two in what you assumed were in a room for little children, picture frames were still on the walls, drawers were still filled with clothes, and there were even dishes in the sink that needed to be washed.

You walked into the living room and noticed a little red light blinking on the answering machine. Clearly this place was abandoned and no one would ever be coming home so you decided you would listen to it. You walked over and pushed a button, hearing a high pitch _beep_ before a man's voice came on:

 ** _"I've never admitted this before, but… for a long time I've been… just a very lonely guy. And it's my fault, yeah. But anyway, that's all gonna be behind me…kinda soon. Cause I'll be moving away, starting something new… But my main point is… I just wish… I just wish I could have been… closer to you all…"_**

The voice sounded older, like a man mid-way through his life. You wondered if he was a the grandfather to one of these kids you assumed lived here, maybe an uncle, or just a close family member. Whoever he was, it was sad to listen to.

Joseph called out to you before entering into the living room to find where you were, "hey, what was that sound?"

You nodded towards the answering machine, "just a recording."

He looked satisfied with that answer, "Well, I don't think we were followed, and I haven't seen anybody around so… I think we're safe, for now." He stood in front of you, looking down into your eyes, studying what he saw there. "I think we should keep moving, though." You nodded, agreeing with him. Then he asked something unexpected, "What's your story?"

You just looked at him questioningly.

"We shared a bed," he said shyly, "and I don't know anything about you, not even your name."

You turned your head away from him, "You don't want to know me," the sorrow practically dripped from your voice, "I might as well be one of those monsters out there."

"I don't believe that."

You sighed, "My name is…" you hesitated, just a brief moment before giving him your name.

He actually smiled at you, "A pleasure to meet you, officially." Then he extended his hand, "I know you know my name, but for the formality, I'm Joseph Oda." You shook his hand, a spark seeming to fly between the two of you.

You wondered if he had felt it too.

"So…?"

"'So' what?" You feigned ignorance.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." Joseph could tell you didn't want to talk about your past so he turned to take a look at the house. Even though he already had.

"My parents…" You started, feeling you owed him at least a little bit for the times he had saved your life. Joseph turned back to face you, your head was down as you stared at your feet and your hands were balled into fists at your side. "They threw me away…" You felt your eyes welling with tears and you quickly wiped them away, not wanting Joseph to see you cry. "Ever since I was little, I remember having this sort of… sensitivity. I heard things that others didn't, saw things no one else could, and I've had these terrible nightmares ever since I could remember…" You looked up and over to see a window that looked outside; a barren wasteland. "My little brother got really sick one day, the doctors couldn't do anything for him. They didn't even know what was wrong until it was too late. My parents… thought he had just been playing too hard outside with his friends, he had these… blisters all over his body. At least, they thought they were blisters. They were all over his back and in his mouth…" You were losing a battle against your emotions but you didn't want to carry the pain anymore. "Eventually, the doctors found out that he had cancer, and that was what had caused the blisters… After a while, he started going through multiple organ failure and we were all told he was going to die… They said he had…" You thought for a moment, back to that day, to remember the name, "…it was… paraneoplastic pemphigus… some kind of rare disease…" You looked back over to Joseph who was staring at you, fixated, "The voices that tormented me came back that day, and for the rest of the week, they haunted me constantly, telling me to kill my brother, to put him out of his misery… **_He's going to die anyway_** …" You sunk to your knees then, slumped in shame, "So… I did…" Joseph went to you then, on his knees in front of you, with his hands on your shoulders like he was ready to tell you everything would be okay. "There was so much blood… The moment I gave in, I blacked out and I don't remember what I did, but when I came to… I had a needle in my hand and my little brother's blood was everywhere." Joseph's grip on your shoulders tightened, "I found out a couple days later… that… that the doctor's had figured out a way they could save him… he could have lived!" Joseph's hands fell away from you then and you started crying, letting out everything you had held in since that day.

Joseph pulled you to him, holding you against his chest, "It's okay…" but that just made you cry harder.

"I murdered my brother…" You sobbed, soaking Joseph's vest and shirt.

"You couldn't have known…"

"I believed… I was… doing what was right… to not let… him suffer anymore… That's what the voices… told me…"

Joseph held you tighter, letting you pour out everything into his chest. He didn't know how to take all that information. It was the darkest confession he had heard in a long time, and it had come from someone so young. Well, not too young, but he was definitely older than you.

He'd wait until you had no more tears left before he asked anything else.


	7. Chapter 6: A Little Closer

"How did your family take it?" Joseph was looking at you with a mix of caution and concern. It was sweet of him to care, but you expected that once everything you just told him really set in, he'd distance himself from you. Maybe he'd abandon you like everyone else had…

"My sister stopped talking to me after that." You began, remembering the disgust that had been on her beautiful face. "She told me I was a freak and made sure I never really got to see her or meet any of her friends. I'm sure she refused to even tell them I existed." Joseph and you were sitting on the dusty couch in the living room now, you twiddling your thumbs and trying to fight back the social anxiety you were feeling. "My dad liked to pretend I wasn't around, he ignored me as much as he could, and my mother…" You grimaced at the thought of her, "she… started to… abuse me… A few years later, some people showed up at the house and took me away… My mother slammed the door shut as soon as I was outside and I haven't seen any of them since."

Joseph took a deep breath. "That's harsh." You didn't expect anything from him. If anything, you were amazed he was still here with you. Everyone saw you as a monster, and after hearing it for so long, you started to believe him.

The hug Joseph gave you was definitely unexpected.

"You don't have to be alone anymore." His words made you start crying all over again. Here was someone you had bared it all to, poured out every secret so that he knew the truth of who he was spending time with, and… he accepted you still. No one had ever treated you like that.

You hugged Joseph back, wrapping your arms around him and pressing your face into his chest. You took in his smell, enjoyed the closeness, and bathed in the warmth he gave off. It was the most human connection you had ever had in your entire life. And it was even more surprising that it was coming from a complete stranger, someone you hadn't even known for very long. No ties, no obligations, and he didn't turn you away. Maybe this… this is what compassion felt like.

You pulled away after a few minutes, embarrassed at your clingy-ness, and rubbed a hand under your nose and wiped your eyes. You really wished you wouldn't cry so much.

"So…" Joseph looked at you, interested, "if all this happened so long ago… how old does that make you?"

You laughed a little, "twenty-seven."

"Wow, six years younger than I am."

You cocked your head to the side, "what's your story?"

It was his turn to let out a little laugh, "I don't really have one." You gave him a fascinated gaze, urging him to go on. He sighed, "Let's see… I'm from Toronto, a second-class Japanese-Canadian although I barely know any Japanese so please don't ask," he rushed to say the last part, seeing you about to ask if he could speak the language, "I… really only wear these glasses… because…" he took them off to look at them, "they were my grandfather's; a keepsake. I wear them…. not so much for seeing as for… wanting to feel normal." The look you were giving him told you you wanted him to elaborate but he didn't say anything further on that subject, "Uhm… I'm… a detective for Krimson City," He was gazing up at the ceiling, trying to think of something else to say, "I was actually partners with Sebastian Castellanos." But when he looked at you he remembered that you've never known the outside world and probably had no idea who he was talking about. "He's uh… one of the best detectives in our force, just to give you an idea."

"Sounds like you're a pretty important guy," you smiled at him, a real smile you hadn't felt yourself give for a long, long time.

"Not so much," he looked sheepish, "But I take my job seriously."

"You had it better than me." You looked down to your feet.

"I wish I could take away your pain."

You looked at Joseph, your eyes meeting, and for the first time, felt a sort of… flutter… in your stomach you'd never experienced before. You wondered if you were getting sick, or if something was wrong with you, but it didn't make you feel bad. It was a good feeling. Sort of like… you had a newfound admiration for this guy sitting next to you.

"I don't want to go back to Beacon Mental Hospital." You confessed, "I don't want to go back to that room…" You reached out a hand, cupping the side of Joseph's face, "I… don't want to be alone anymore…"

Before Joseph could say anything, a god awful ringing sounded in each of your guys' ears, giving you the worst migraine and making the two of you clutch at your heads in pain. You both cried out, you even falling to the floor.

Then it died away almost as suddenly as it had come.

You slowly rose off the ground and looked at Joseph to see he had a bloody nose. His eyes looked different and strange cracks seemed to pulsate on his features-almost as if they were there one second and then gone the next. He seemed paler too…

"Are you ok-" you were cut off as both his hands wrapped around your next, strangling you. You grasped at him, trying to pull him away and choking for air.

And then he let go, panting.

"I… I'm so sorry…" He moved away from you, pressing his back against the far wall to keep his distance. "I… I don't know what came over me… I haven't been feeling well, but…" He tilted his head back until it touched the wall, pressing the heel of the palm of his hand against his temple as he squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.

You walked over to him, handing him a tissue you found in a near empty box on the coffee table. He took it hesitantly before pressing it against his nose and sinking into a sitting position on the ground.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be…" You said, a very small hint of sadness in your voice, "There's something wrong with this place… I'm actually surprised it didn't get to you sooner."

"Yeah…" He then started coughing like he had been smoking for years. You wished that you could get him a glass of water but you doubted the plumbing still worked. And if it did, you doubted it would be safe enough to drink.

You knelt down in front of him, keeping your knees close to your chest but sitting on your heels, "when you feel up to it, we should probably keep moving."


	8. Chapter 7: Promises

_There was a patient-no, an experiment-in a bath tub, "Go home… go home…"_

 _A man in a lab coat walks around, reading off a clipboard. "Subject's case history cites developmental delays and indicates issues with communication, social cognition, and repetitive behaviors. Signs of synesthesia reported. Genealogy suggests increased susceptibility to external stimuli and pattern adaptiveness. Could you be what I have been searching for all these years? And under my own nose. Unbelievable… There can be no mistake. This one is… compatible."_

 _A switch is flipped and the experiment screams._

You woke with a start. You'd never had a dream like that before. You didn't even know who either of those people in your dream were. Maybe it was just this place getting to you. Maybe you shouldn't sleep so much…

You rolled over on the borrowed bed to see Joseph still asleep. It had been at least a couple weeks since the last incident and the two of you were both still on the run. Though running from what, that was the question. You both didn't know why you kept running, why both of you were always on the move. It felt right, almost. As if staying in the same place too long would bring danger. Now that you thought about it, it was probably more because staying on the move kept the monsters guessing. When you moved to a new spot, they didn't know where you were for a time. But they always found you.

They always would.

Joseph rolled over onto his back and groaned as he woke up and stretched. "Good morning," you said, "how do you feel?"

"My head won't stop buzzing… it used to feel like it was about to crack open. But now it's like… I'm starting to get used to it…"

Ever since that time when Joseph had almost strangled you, he hadn't felt quite the same. It wasn't so much that he was changing as it was that-whatever controlled this world-was trying to take hold of him. He fought it as much as he could though.

"Come on, let's keep moving." You said, getting out of bed, slipping into your slippers so your feet didn't touch the cold floor.

Joseph groaned more, he was tired of all the running, but he knew the importance of not staying in one place to long. Truthfully, he just wanted to be rid of this place, to go home, and he wanted to take you with him. Even though neither of you had known each other very long, he had grown attached. There was just something about you; a will to go on that he wished he had right now.

Outside, the two of you continued in the same direction: north. It wasn't long until a long bridge came into sight made of cobblestone. By the time the two of you reached the bridge, it was already dusk. Not that that really meant anything. Time didn't really mean anything here. As far as anyone could tell, it moved however fast of slow it wanted and paid no heed to the ones who desperately needed its stability. This was a world of no rules.

Up ahead, there was shouting. You could faintly see the figures of three men. At least, one of them looked like a normal person while the other two… looked more like monsters. The two that looked more gruesome were dragging the third man on the ground towards a large object. They held him down in the groove shaped perfectly for ones neck as the blade fell down-the guillotine decapitating the man.

Joseph sighed as he watched the two creatures toss the body away, "There's only two, we can take them."

"What?" You half shouted-half whispered.

Joseph started moving forward, making his way onto the bridge. As he and you got about half way, you heard a weird metallic tug, like the pulling of a wire…

Or the tripping of one…

A bomb went off from under the bridge that sent Joseph flying forward and you backwards. When your vision stopped being so fuzzy and your ears stopped ringing, you looked over to see Joseph was on the other side of the bridge and the two creatures had hold of him, dragging his slightly unconscious body towards the guillotine. You panicked, looked around for a way to get over there of something you could use to stop them.

That's when you noticed Joseph's gun, a Colt M1911A1-or at least a customized version of it, had fallen from its holster from the blast and had landed over by you.

Never in your entire life had you ever used a gun before but it couldn't be that hard, right? You'd seen people on TV shoot one a thousand times. It couldn't be much different. So quickly, you looked at the gun and figured out how to load it properly, although shakily, and then you held it with two hands as you pointed it towards the two creatures trying to kill Joseph. You were already half crying as you imagined missing and hitting Joseph instead.

You fired the first shot. Miraculously, it landed in the throat of one of the creatures. Not quite where you had been aiming but it was close enough. But that still left one more as its partner fell to the ground in a lump of mutilated flesh.

You fired again. Missing completely this time.

Again. You only grazed its shoulder.

It dropped Joseph though, and screeched as it looked your way. You began panicking even more. It started running towards you and you had a feeling the gap in the bridge between the two of you wouldn't be a problem for it.

You fired again. The screeching died as the creature fell to the ground, then rolled off the bridge entirely as it had been right next to the edge. And when you were sure it was gone for good, you climbed down and then back up the other side of the structure and made your way towards Joseph.

"Joseph!" You cried as you fell to your knees next to him, dropping the gun to the side. "A-are you okay?"

He groaned and coughed, "I'm fine, no need to worry." The he looked to the side, unable to meet your gaze, "You should have just let them."

"What?"

Joseph, still lying in the dirt, picked up his gun from the ground to his side and pressed the barrel to his temple, finger on the trigger. "It's just a matter of time… It's better this-"

You ripped the gun from his hand, making sure his finger never squeezed the trigger, and threw the gun to the side, out of reach. "What are you doing?!" You sobbed as you fell of Joseph's chest and clutched at his vest. "Why would you do that?! Why would you want to leave me here all alone?!"

"I…"

"You said we were going to stay together! Keep each other safe!"

Joseph felt his expression soften as he looked down at you lying on him. He felt regret, for having even thought about doing such a thing. How could he ever put you through that, make you go through all of this, alone? "I'm sorry…"

"Don't leave me… please don't leave me…" You pleaded.

Joseph sat up, holding you in his arms, "I promise I won't."


	9. Chapter 8: Giants

"This looks like some kind of marketplace. It looks deserted, just like everywhere else… We ought to keep moving." Joseph said as you walked through a new area.

After getting past the bridge, the two of you had made it to what seemed to be the outskirts of a city. Joseph even went so far as to say that it kind of reminded him of home even though nothing looked familiar.

"Where do you suppose we are?" You asked as you looked around at the rubble.

"More like 'when'. This architecture seems straight out of the middle ages…"

You looked around a little more, taking note of certain aspects, "Yeah but there's electricity, elevators. This place can't be real…"

"It's like jumbled up memories…" Joseph then started coughing again, only this time he was coughing up blood. It wasn't a good sign, it was frustrating, and you didn't know how to help.

There were some faint growls nearby and you were immediately on high alert. Joseph had fallen into a crouch but you knew something was coming and you didn't want to stay out in the open. There wasn't much as far as hiding spots went so you dragged Joseph along and hid in a nearby bush that, if you had been standing, would have barely reached your stomach. It was something at least.

So far, only one creature had revealed itself. Deformed skin, boils, crusted blood, and a sharp wooden stick protruding through its left eye and also the back of its head; impaled, it was monstrous to look at. But then your troubles got worse…

As if the normal, people-sized creatures weren't difficult enough to deal with, two giants emerged from around a bend carrying massive spiked clubs. They walked slow but you had no doubt that they more than made up for that with brute strength. Getting past them without being noticed, that would be a feat.

"I'm scared…" You whispered, pressing close to Joseph as if just being against his body would keep you safe.

"It'll be okay," he whispered back. "I think…" You could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he made a plan, "if we get high enough on those walls, they won't be able to reach us and maybe we could get away-or maybe even take them down." He was crazy. You were absolutely sure at this point that Joseph was more insane than you.

The area you were in was made up of rubble from crumbling stone structures, a maze of walls that looked like they were mildly sturdy enough for their age, and a couple horse statues, none of which really seemed to fit in with the rest of the world. Although, in its defense, this world didn't make sense anyway. It's just a giant nightmare you have no way to wake up from because it's all **_really happening_**.

"When they're all looking away," you were already shaking your head even before he began whispering, "we're going to make our way over there," he was referring to a pile of rubble next to a crumbling portion of wall that would allow easy access upward, "and we're going to find a way out of here."

You were gripping his vest with both hands, rubbing the top of your head into his chest, and on the verge of tears, "I can't, they'll see us, we'll never make it. I'm scared…"

"Hey," Joseph tilted your head up with a finger, staring into your eyes, "we're going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"But-"

"Shhh," Joseph pressed a finger to your lips, "we'll be okay, I promise." Then, almost as an afterthought, he placed a gentle kiss on your forehead for reassurance. With that, it was like everything suddenly melted away. You didn't feel the terror of the impending death you might experience quite as much, and you found it hard to focus on anything other than the man before you, who was now holding your hand and readying to make a move.

You took a deep breath and shut your eyes briefly before Joseph motioned that now was the time and the two of you were silently off towards the nearby pile of rubble. So far so good.

You made it, Joseph motioned for you to climb first, and then he was climbing after you. You got about ten steps on the top of the wall before seeing the head of one of the giants a few meters in front of you, somewhere in the maze, boorishly unaware of either of you-thank whatever god.

On the wall tops, there was about a foot of space-maybe more-to maneuver around on. They weren't particularly thick walls but they were big enough that it wasn't hard to balance on them as you walked. Well, the two of you more crouch-walked as you tried to remain unseen. All the same, it came as a complete surprise with the giant neither of you had noticed went crashing through a blocked archway underneath your feet, built into the wall but obviously covered up with more stone.

The wall didn't crumble into dust beneath you, and aside from the new gaping hole in the side of the wall through the previously blocked archway, everything remained intact, but the force and shock from the sudden experience had made you wobbly on your feet and you felt yourself slipping.

Joseph tried to reach for you to keep you from falling but his hard just missed yours and you tumbled onto the ground, crying out in pain as you hit a couple small rocks. Joseph cursed and pulled out his gun, having to think fast if he didn't want you to end up dead.

Before you, the giant's back filled your vision as it stood barely a meter away. Maybe it didn't know you were there, maybe you could sneak away? But then it brought its arm up and swung in a horizontal arch behind it, spinning around, now facing you, and now having actually destroyed the wall completely this time as it crumbled before you.

You scrambled to your feet and began running away, looking for an escape route. You had no weapons, and no strength, to take this monster on and-more than anything-you were afraid of dying. "Up here!" Joseph called after you and you caught a glimpse of him atop a nearby wall waving at you, trying to draw your attention. You ran his way, reaching for his outstretched hand that spelled safety if you could only get off the ground and climb higher.

You had his hand, but Joseph swung you to the side just barely in time as the giants club smacked into the stone, sending the wall shaking but unaffecting a prepared Joseph that had moved out of the way just in time to keep from falling off.

You coughed from the dirt that had been kicked up from being slightly thrown to the ground, then rolled away as you barely missed being stepped on. Your heart was pounding and you were afraid you weren't going to be able to keep outmaneuvering this thing for much longer.

Shots were fired and you took the opportunity to run away once again and tried making your way towards Joseph. "This way!" He called after you as he unloaded an entire clip into the monster chasing you.

As luck would have it, it wasn't the bullets that saved you, but rather the other giant. Just as you reached for Joseph's hand and he started to pull you up, the monster chasing you readied its arm, about to swing at you which very likely would have sent you flying and crushed every bone in your body, but its partner-the other giant-decided at that moment to come crashing in and tried taking a swing at you as well. It missed however and its club went sailing into the body of its comrade, throwing of that one's swing and very much saving your life.

Joseph pulled you up and the two of you ran until you made it to a part of the maze that seemed untouched and safe for the moment. Both of you doubted the giants would follow you as they seemed as dumb as they were strong but it still wasn't a good idea to try and hide out here.

In front of you though, which you just now noticed, were two horse statues rearing up at each other. Joseph was taking a moment to breath as you studied the statues, touching them for no real apparent reason. When your hand grazed over one of the legs of one of the horses, it easily was pushed back and there was a deep rumbling as a secret entrance opened up to a dark tunnel.

You didn't like the idea of going into the darkness but it seemed a better option than staying out here. Joseph seemed to think so as well as he looked around quickly before stating that it would probably be best to go inside.

Your initial instinct was to grab his hand and hold on tightly to his arm as you both descended. There wasn't much light, but a ways ahead of the two of you, there was a faint glow emanating and you both began your slow, cautious pace towards it.

You were beginning to really wonder if all this really _was_ better than that year in Beacon Mental Hospital. Sure it was lonely but your life wasn't constantly in danger. Although, if you were still there, if none of this had happened, you would have never met Joseph.

And that was an alternative you didn't even want to consider.


	10. Chapter 9: Embrace

"Are you alright?" Joseph asked. You hadn't let go of his arm or hand since entering the secret tunnel and you were shaking, mostly from the events that had just happened.

"You don't need to worry about me." You managed to choke out. It sounded more like you were trying to convince yourself that you were okay rather than Joseph.

Joseph didn't say anything more as you reached the glow that was emanating at the far end of the tunnel. The light had been coming from a room which, when the two of you entered it, held sights and smells neither of you wanted to experience.

There were four stone slabs covered in blood, as well as parts of the floor and the walls. The slabs rested at about thigh height and above two of the four were mutilated bodies, handing from hooks on heavy chains. The other two slabs already had bodies on them, most likely placed there for some kind of ritual but whoever was doing this must not have been able to finish. And lastly, at the far end of the room was a barred door.

There was no where left to run.

"What do you make of this writing?" Joseph asked, studying the symbols that were everywhere and written in the blood of these sacrifices.

"I… don't know…" You breathed, still taking everything in.

The bodies didn't seem to be rotting which meant that they were fresh, maybe a few hours old-a day at the absolute most. It was gruesome. You hated looking at all of it, but there was nowhere to turn as every corner of the room had terrifying sights.

Joseph seemed transfixed, like the whole thing was fascinating. "I think it's talking about… ' _sacrifices_ ' needing to be lowered onto the proper alters… and the ' _safe way to him_ ' will be opened."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, but…" Joseph turned around to face you, "I think we need to lower those bodies onto the ' _alters_ ' and maybe that door will open." Joseph then moved over to one of the slabs that had a body hanging above it. He grabbed the chain and started pulling on it as it rotated through some gears and began lowering the body. When the dead, heap of flesh was completely on the stone, the slab then began making a grinding sound as it lowered itself halfway into the ground before settling.

"I don't like this." You said, watching Joseph move to the other slab.

"We can't go back up there. Those giants will kill us…" Joseph grunted at he pulled on the next chain, having to use a little muscle as all the blood had caked on it and made it stick a little. And when the body was down, the next stone slab lowered just as the one before it-followed by a deep ' ** _click_** ' that you both believed to be the unlocking of the far door. "I think we can go through."

"Joseph…" You were scared, terrified even, and more than anything you just wanted a break. To stop running all the time, to not be in danger at every turn, to just be able to breathe fresh air. Just a little bit of peace, that was all you wanted right now. This feeling was inevitably the reason you started crying.

"Hey," Joseph came over to you and wrapped you up in his arms, holding you against his chest. He knew exactly how you felt, maybe even felt it a little more with whatever sickness was trying to take him over, but actually seeing your distress hit him like a brick wall. "It's going to be okay, I'll keep you safe."

"I'm so scared…"

"I know…" Joseph tried soothing you, calming you down, but in the end he figured it would just be best for you to cry until you spilled all your emotions out. Holding everything in could kill someone just as much as the danger that was very real outside this tunnel walking around. "It might not mean much… but you've… you've made everything feel less hopeless." Joseph started, "With you here, I feel like I have a real reason to go on and not just give up an lie down to die somewhere. I feel like I can't fight my urge to just end it all because I have you with me."

You started calming down, hearing his words, and took a moment to look up as his face. You wondered if he really meant what he said or if he just said it to calm you down. Either way, genuine or not, it made you feel immensely better.

You didn't know why, or even if it would mean anything to him, but slowly, you pressed your lips to his in your very first kiss. His own lips were soft and he didn't seem at all surprised but instead embraced you, holding you tightly and deepening the moment. Your stomach fluttered and you felt a very unfamiliar sensation bloom in your core. As if you now had an insatiable need to draw out this moment and live in it forever. Was that how everyone felt when they had their first kiss? You hoped so, because it was an incredible experience. Maybe it was just the hype of constant danger followed by the threat of death at any moment, but you felt a hunger to catch and hold on to any moment of happiness you could.

When the two of you finally pulled away, you felt breathy and hot from embarrassment. What if he didn't reciprocate? What if he accepted your kiss just because he knew you needed it? The reality of it all hit you hard and you suddenly felt like running away.

But there was nowhere to go.

Your fears crumbled when Joseph was the one to kiss you this time, crashing his lips to yours with passion and need. You didn't know what to do, you were new to this, but you followed his lead as your mouths synched together like a dance. Perfect harmony.

For the first time in your life that you could remember, you felt wanted. There was no yelling from someone that you were a freak-who saw and heard things no one else could, no feeling of being ignored, no hiding away from the world to keep up appearances that your family was the picture of perfection. There was just you and Joseph, and acceptance.

You felt loved.

"I stay with you," Joseph whispered against your lips, "even if we're stuck here forever, I'll never leave your side."

"Promise?" You asked, emotionally.

"You have my word."


	11. Chapter 10: Uncovering Truths

Joseph was right, lowering the bodies had unlocked the door at the far end and now the two of you had-possibly-an escape route.

The door led to another long hallway, an empty one. It was all stone walls and floors and, for whatever reason, it made you feel incredibly uncomfortable to walk through it. It was almost like… everything was pressing down on you, getting smaller and smaller, until you would be crushed. But every time you shook your head to try and rid yourself of the feeling-or every time you focused more closely on your surroundings-you found that nothing was changing and it was all in your head.

The hallway led into another room, more office-like with desks and chairs and papers. However, slightly more eerie as, to your right after immediately entering the room, was a horribly mutilated body trapped and floating in a cylinder tank of liquid reaching from floor to ceiling. An experiment, you gathered.

The two of you were cautious, walking around the room, but Joseph insisted on exploring to see if there were any answers to what was going on in this world. Maybe this was the office of the mastermind behind it all. Maybe there were no answers… But there was no harm in looking, right?

You walked towards the desk, skimming over the papers until one of them caught your eye: **_"It had to have been god's will that these two tin orphans survived. They were baptized and given medicine. Nein and his brother, Zehn, quickly recovered, but just as quickly did there aberration progress…_**

 ** _"Of course they are twins, but for some reason their growth patterns exhibit identical values._**

 ** _"12 hours after serum administered._**

 ** _Neun: 122.4 cm, 28.2 kg_**

 ** _Zehn: 122.4 cm, 28.2 kg_**

 ** _Body temperature elevation, pain in lower extremities evident._**

 ** _"24 hours after serum administered._**

 ** _Neun: 125.8 cm, 29.4 kg_**

 ** _Zehn: 125.8 cm, 29.4 kg_**

 ** _Vital signs stabilized, sleeping in short intervals._**

 ** _"36 hours after serum administered._**

 ** _Neun: 139.9 cm, 34.0 kg_**

 ** _Zehn: 139.9 cm, 34.0 kg_**

 ** _Semiconscious, speaking to imaginary person._**

 ** _"48 hours after serum administered._**

 ** _Neun: 145.7 cm, 45.9 kg_**

 ** _Zehn: 145.7 cm, 45.9 kg_**

 ** _Agitated, administering sedative."_**

 ****Twins? You didn't know what exactly this 'doctor' was doing but clearly he was experimenting on people. And it sounded horrible. You wondered, vaguely, if the body in the tank was one of these twins… But then it clicked when you gave it a little more thought. These twins were the giants that had tried to kill you. The monsters outside this tunnel, massive and brutish, were the product of this crazy man's experiments. In times like this, you disagreed with ** _'the end justifies the means'_**. You had no idea what this man was working to discover, but it didn't seem worth it if this was how it turned out.

Another note caught your eye as well: **_"Every month 'offerings' are brought above ground to the stone sarcophagus the owner calls the 'alter'. Two bodies, four bodies, three bodies, five bodies, four bodies, seven bodies, six bodies…_**

 ** _"The church guard dog has begun to change. Just like the twins, the aberration is progressing._**

 ** _"It devoured six bodies today and already it howls for more. It has begun to stress its bars and chains in its fervor. I don't dare take my eyes away from that animal. It may think I am another offering…"_**

"Joseph!" You called out, "Look at these." You showed him the notes, everything about the twins and this dog.

"It looks like this madman conducted the same experiment on the animal that he did the orphan twins. " Joseph said absently as he looked over the papers.

"I think those twins were the two giants that tried to kill us."

"That would make sense." Joseph read over the notes several times, piecing together the puzzle pieces. "If that's true, though, the this dog went through the same mutation. It would be just as strong and brutal, if not more, than the giants-but with the carnal instincts of a feral animal." Joseph seemed more and more troubled as he thought that over. The twins were tough enough.

"Do you think this dog is out there?"

Joseph noted the worry in your voice, he felt the same way, "I don't know." He then set the papers down and grabbed your hand, "I think we should find a way out."

"But what if it's out there?" You asked, slightly panicking and only barely offering resistance to Joseph pulling you along.

"We can't know for sure. Plus," Joseph wanted to reassure you, "this place looks old. All of this could be years-or even decades old. The dog might not even exist anymore."

You didn't feel any comfort from his words. "The twins were alive."

"Yeah…" Joseph had hoped you wouldn't say that. He knew what he was proposing was unlikely, but it was nice to hope.

And in a place so full of uncertainty, hope was all the two of you had.


	12. Chapter 11: Ardor and Pain

When the two of you found an exit, and passed through another narrow hallway, you came upon a circular room. You weren't inside this room, but rather, standing in the hallway connected to it, staring in. There was an arc of sturdy metal bars preventing access inside but, upon further inspection, the two of you realized that neither of you would ever want to go in there anyway.

Inside this circular, prison room was a chained animal. At least, that was the only viable description you could come up with. You didn't know what else to call it.

Matted fur, caked blood and dirt and metal, this… _thing_ … was the next experiment. The dog. With its piercing eye opened and staring at you, staring through you, you felt insignificant. Not in the sense that this thing could ever be worth more than you, but just that the monstrousness of the creature made you feel as though it could take your life at any moment; it would be that simple. And it wouldn't care.

But it wasn't breathing.

"Is… is it dead?" You asked, feeling the urge to get closer to sate your curiosity but pushing the feeling away for a fear of death.

"It's hard to tell." Joseph seemed to be thinking the same thing but had the same mind as you to not get any closer.

Joseph then pressed his back against the wall behind him and slid down into a sitting position. You went to him right away, crouching down to be on his level. "Hey… are you okay? Are you still with me?"

He looked like he was feeling lightheaded, "Have you… ever had the urge to just jump? When you're on a high place-" he coughed, "-or the subway rolls by…" He couldn't meet your eyes, "Imagine, just for a moment, if you had that urge for a minute straight. Then two minutes…"

"You fought it off before… Maybe you're learning to stop it?" You didn't like where this was going.

"I'm not worried about stopping it… I'm worried about not wanting to stop it." He looked you in the eyes now, cupping the side of your face with a free hand, "Some part of me… wants to turn. I don't know why and I can't reason it away… It's deeper than that. It's like instinct… and it's getting stronger."

Then the ringing came back, followed by a familiar headache.

 ** _Two worlds, separated by a jagged chasm._**

 ** _Above, faceless spectators mocking the tragedy._**

 ** _Below, helpless victims, losing everything._**

You clutched at your ears to try and keep the voices from getting in, but, blocking out all the other sound, leaving yourself with only your heartbeat and your thoughts, they got louder.

 ** _YOU'RE A DISGRACE!_**

 ** _You killed your brother._**

 ** _He could have LIVED and you chose to let him DIE._**

 ** _That's why your family hates you!_**

 ** _That's why everyone HATES you!_**

 ** _You think Joseph cares for you, don't you?_**

 ** _Do you not remember his face when you told him everything?!_**

 ** _FREAK!_**

"NO!" You screamed and fell to the ground in a useless heap.

 ** _You'll end up alone here, no one will care._**

 ** _You'll be swallowed in darkness._**

 ** _We'll kill you when that happens._**

"No… leave m-me alone…"

 ** _Swallowed in darkness…_**

 ** _A blight on the world._**

The voices faded, leaving your shaking, curled up on the floor. Your entire body was filled with fear; for your death, for the chance that maybe they were right, for the thought that Joseph was just putting on airs.

Joseph called your name but you barely heard it. It was like your mind was filled with fog, and you were in a glass box, and nothing could reach you. Someone shook you, you hardly felt it, your senses numb. A face filled your vision, you didn't recognize it. Something cold and wet touched your lips, you didn't know what it was.

Then it rushed back.

Joseph was saying your name as if pleading, whispering it like it was a prayer. His forehead was pressed to yours as he had-at some point-pulled you into his lap and was holding you, waiting for you to come back to him.

"Joseph?"

He pulled away just enough to look at your face before crashing his lips to yours in an immeasurable thank you to the heavens. He had no idea what had just happened, but he was relieved to have you with him again-rejoining reality.

"Are you okay?" He breathed against your lips.

You took in his scent, bathing in his closeness, and recollected yourself from the ardor of his kiss that had shattered your train of thought. "I think so."

Then the unexpected happened.


	13. Chapter 12: Family Darkness

The next thing you knew, you were sitting at a dining room table. **_Your old dining table_**.

You were at the head, to your right was your father, to your left was your mother, and one seat down from your mother was your sister. You were having breakfast. Your father was reading the newspaper like he always did. Your mother was ignoring you like she always did, seeming to find great interest in staring at her plate rather than looking your way. Your sister was on her phone, probably talking to her friends, blissfully pretending you didn't exist.

"Finish your plate," Father said sharply but monotonously at you. You looked down to see the bland plate of eggs, sausage, and hash browns. Your mother made of point of making only this exact breakfast for you every single morning. She never seasoned it. Sometimes, she even ' _forgot_ ' to cook your eggs or potatoes all the way, making them a chore to eat. It looked like today she actually cooked them fully. Lucky you.

"Mom, is it okay if I go out today and hang out with a couple friends?" Your sister asked, her eyes glazing over you as if you weren't even there when she turned to talk to mother.

"Sure, sweetie." Your mother smiled, "As long as you're home before dark."

"Can I go out too?" You didn't know why you asked it, it just came out, almost like a habit. A bad habit.

Your mother whipped her head towards you, glaring daggers. If looks could kill, your mother would have slaughtered you mercilessly and hid the body in the basement, buried deep under the floorboards so no one would know-and if anyone came looking, she'd spin a story of you being a tragic runaway. "No." Was her only reply but there was so much venom in that one word you were sure you'd die of poisoning. Needless to say, you felt yourself shrink in your seat. She was a towering, powerful, and scary monster, and you were the helpless ant beneath her shoe.

Next to your mother, you faintly heard your sister snicker. Mother seemed oblivious to the very obvious sound; she probably thought your question was ridiculous also.

"Finish your plate," your Father's assertive, even tone cracked on you like a whip.

You picked up your fork, scooping your tasteless food into your mouth and feeling time haze over until your plate was empty.

"Clean your place and go to your room." Your mother demanded in a bored tone. Your sister then kissed Mother's cheek before saying her goodbye and exiting the house.

Then, it was almost as if reality… **_twitched_**.. and every suddenly went back to the way it was a moment ago; like when film skips because it wasn't pieced together properly and you go back a few seconds. You were sitting at the head of the table, to your right was your father, to your left was your mother, and one seat down from your mother was your sister. You were having breakfast. Your father was reading the newspaper like he always did. Your mother was ignoring you like she always did, seeming to find great interest in staring at her plate rather than looking your way. Your sister was on her phone, probably talking to her friends, blissfully pretending you didn't exist.

But this time, sitting a seat down from your father was… your little brother. All five of you were at the table again. You nearly broke out in teats at the sight of your little brother's chubby, five year old face. He was exactly as you remembered him: perfect. Short, curly blond hair, big blue, adventurous eyes, and the most adorable round face.

You called out your brother's name. He looked at you with the sweetest expression. He didn't even look sick, he looked as full of energy and as healthy as he had been before everything had gone downhill.

Then the blisters started covering his body, head to toe, and his eyes fogged over-as they had when he died. And immediately after, little needle sized holes appeared all over his chest and two in his neck as he appeared to begin bleeding out. The floor ran red with his blood as your father flipped a page in his newspaper, your mother ate a bite of her food, and your sister laughed at some joke her friend made over the phone. You screamed at the sight.

"Finish your plate." Your father said sternly.

 ** _Slap_**. Your face burned from the back of your mother's hand hitting your cheek. "Cut that out this instant!"

You stuttered. "B-but…" and you tried pointing at your little brother. "Danny's-"

 ** _Slap_**. "Don't you ever speak my son's name after what you did!"

"But he's right there! He's dying! We need to help-"

 ** _SLAP_**. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Before your could even react, still recovering from those three slaps, your mother had picked up her eating knife and it was now sticking out right above your left breast, just below your collar bone.

You fell out of your chair in shock and lied on the ground, crying out in pain. You reached for the knife, attempting to pull it out, but as soon as your fingers touched the end of it, you winced and pain shot through you like a bullet, making you forget about trying to pull it out.

Your mother got out of her chair and knelt down to you, "Stop your whining. Here," She reached to pull it out with her left hand, you waited for the pain to rush through you from the blade extraction. Instead, your mother angrily stabbed her fork into your thigh and you immediately began bleeding badly. To satisfy her need to keep you in pain, she also finished what she initially planned and ripped the knife out of your chest, twisting it as she did so. Then she grabbed new silverware and went and sat back at her place at the table and continued eating.

You had lost your voice, you were in shock. Your mother had hit an artery with the fork and you knew you were going to die. You felt silent tears slip down your face, there was a lump of fear in your throat, and your body was slowly going numb.

Your mother look down at you then, "I thought I told you to clean up your fucking plate."

One breath, two; air flowed into your lungs. One, two, three, four… thirty times you felt pressure on your chest before the air flowed into your lungs again. The cycle repeated.

Thirty chest compressions.

Two breaths of air.

Eventually, after a few cycles of this, you coughed and immediately you felt someone hug you.

Joseph was crying as he watched you take that breath of life, and he wrapped you up in his arms for fear of losing you again.


	14. Chapter 13: Be Free With Me

You couldn't really express the feeling you had. It was like… lucid dreaming. Although, the real, big difference was that you knew you **_weren't_** dreaming. It was more like… a feeling of going back in time, reliving old memories, reliving old feelings. Though the only thing that mattered, here and now, was that you were with Joseph. The rest would fade into the depths of your memory and you'd only remember it as a faded nightmare, one to forever blend with the rest until it was indiscernible from all the others.

When you tried explaining what you recalled to Joseph, he seemed to listen but not comprehend. He mentioned several times that it was probably just a dream-comparable to seeing one's life flash before their eyes before dying. Which, on all accounts, he thought you had. But you insisted it was more than that. There had been a sort of realism to the whole experience, but you just didn't know how to convey your feelings into the right words.

After a while about talking about the whole thing, Joseph just seemed to shrug the matter away and tell you that he was just glad he hadn't lost you. While saying that, you noticed an emotion in his eyes you hadn't really seen before. Affection. A look not disparate to your own.

Whilst all this talking was happening, Joseph and you had quietly found a way out of the awful experiment dungeon and pushed through a gothic-style, metal wire gate. It reminded you of something a rich person would have blockading entrance to their estate.

Outside, the air was cold and nipped at your exposed skin. The two of you emerged into a clearing surrounded by medium sized bushes and dead grass; lifeless.

"Were to now?" Joseph asked, almost to himself.

"There's nowhere to go." You said sullenly, almost in defeat. It wasn't so much that you were afraid of all this darkness getting to you, it was more that you had no options and letting it in would b your only escape.

Joseph turned toward you and whispered your name softly, placing both hands on your shoulders in reassurance, "We'll find a way out of this place." You admired his seemingly endless reserves of pointless hope. Despite his own fear of the fate he could possibly face, he always tried to keep your spirits up-even if his own were faltering.

There was a long silence between you two. You stared at your feet as you contemplated everything that the two of you had been through. It felt like days, maybe even months had passed, but nothing had changed expect the blooming relationship between Joseph and you. All the peril and danger dredged on, tearing at you to give up, for Joseph to give up. It was constant fear without change. But the one light was him, ever by your side, and you felt more devotion for him with every passing day.

"Be free with me." Was all you said as you looked up at him this time, a fire burning in your eyes as you felt a new resolve.

Joseph was confused, "What?"

"All we're doing is running, every single day. And we're not getting anywhere. For once in my life, I don't want to be chained down anymore and just accept my fate." You then cupped both sides of Joseph's face with your hands, "You keep saying you feel this urge to jump…" You stared longingly into his eyes, "I want to jump with you." The thought of release-after all the years-nearly made tears well in your eyes. "We could make the most of one more day here, and then…" You felt an incredible need then, for passion-for love, "…we could be free!"

Joseph stared at you long and hard, contemplating everything you were saying. He saw the zeal burning in you like a fire and felt a sort of weightlessness as he accepted your words. Just the thought of it… was freeing in itself. "Okay." Was his reply, and suddenly, it was like trying to mesh what would be a lifetime of experiences, passion, pain, excitement, fear, and release all into a few hours of this last day.

It was exhilarating.

For what seemed like the first time, Joseph and you smiled broadly and brightly as you wondered for a bit, looking for the perfect spot to spend the night. You talked and shared secrets along the way, you confessing that despite the torment your family put you through, you continued to love them like a child who was grateful for such a wonderful family-Joseph confessing that despite everything, he was actually glad to be in this hell because he would have never met you otherwise.

You found the perfect spot to settle for the night just as the sun was falling in the sky-still a couple hours of daylight left. The spot that was found was a ways away from the dead dog and the horrible experiment dungeon, next to a cliff and a small stream of dirty water that ran off it. The ground was mildly patched with dead and semi-alive grass, it was also deserted and neither of you saw or heard any monsters in the area. And what had appealed most was that, looking over the cliff, it just dropped into an ocean of clouds-far below-and no sight of the ground. Here's where it would all end.

"I want you to know," Joseph started, pulling on your hand so you came close and turning you to face him, "that I love you. More than… I ever thought I could love someone in such short of a time."

You kissed him. It was brief, but there was a sort of electricity to it. "I… love you too." It was the first time you had ever said those three words to someone.

Joseph kissed you back, longer this time, weaving his fingers into your hair and deepening the kiss. It was a passion you felt down to the soles of your feet and the tips of your fingers, stirring a desire in your core. In turn, you wrapped both your arms around his neck, and his free hand slinked around your waist, pulling you against his chest.

You felt nervous but also eager. Fear but also excitement.

Joseph was slow as he worked what you were comfortable with, not sliding a hand under your shirt until he felt you relax or pressing a palm to your breast until he felt you were open to it. He caressed and worshiped your body like no one had. He made you feel beautiful and powerful as he touched you. He made love to you like no one else could, nor would be able to. It was a delicate dace, but you enjoyed every second of it. Both of your clothes serving as the cushion between your bodies and the ground.

Joseph seemed to memorize every curve of your body and would gently trance his fingers and hands over them-kissing you with fervor while he did so, almost as if he was a man dying of thirst and you were his oasis, sating his dying need.

It was the first, and would be the last time, a man would make love to you. But it was an experience you would never forget, even in death, because it was with the man you loved.

Joseph and you lied on the ground for some time after, one of his arms wrapped around you as the two of you stared up at the pale, grey heavens. The sun was setting but it did not scorch streaks of color above you. Instead, it faintly glowed behind a cloud-filled sky and dimmed as it slowly set behind the horizon.

"Do you want to sleep first?" Joseph asked sweetly.

"Yes," You replied, snuggling into the crook of his arm and listening to his heartbeat, "I just want to lay next to you one last time." And Joseph smiled, kissing the top of your head and taking a deep breath, relaxed in knowing that soon, the two of you would be free together.


	15. Chapter 14: Escape

You awoke just before the sun spilled its light into the sky, just moments before a new day. You hadn't planned on sleeping that long, nor had you expected to stay so warm throughout. The two of you had gotten dressed just before falling asleep, Joseph insisting on it so the two of you wouldn't be cold. His body heat had kept you warm enough, though.

Pleasantly, you had a dreamless sleep. No night terrors, no haunting words, and no guilt. Your horrors had kept to themselves for once, no doubt screeching in triumph at the fate you had chosen. In a way, they had been right, the darkness would envelope you. But not in the way they had intended. You would not let yourself fall into madness and become a killer. You already knew of their trickery and manipulation and-if anything-this was you proving them wrong. That you wouldn't be what they said you'd become. And by ending it all, you were preventing them from taking hold of you.

"Good morning," you heard Joseph's sultry voice say against your hair. Absently, you wondered how long he had been awake. Maybe he hadn't gotten sleep at all?

You mumbled something similar in return, sitting up and stretching your stiff muscles from sleeping on the hard ground. What you were truly amazed by, was that it was still just the two of you out here, nothing to disturb the peace. Maybe this place knew what the both of you were planning and stopped its rein of torment for the anticipation of succeeding in its goal. You cared not.

Joseph stood up and offered a hand to you, pulling you up next to him. He had a look of liberation in his eyes, and anticipation. You felt your own sense of excitement, as well.

"This is it." Joseph whispered to himself, taking a deep breath. The two of you walked to the edge of the cliff, Joseph held you from behind as you looked out at the sea of clouds than swam below. It was peaceful. It was terrifying.

And in that moment, you felt yourself getting cold feet. Not because you didn't want to-you wanted nothing more than to be free-but it was the thought of having to take that step yourself. To push _yourself_ over the edge. It was scary to do something you knew you couldn't back out of if you changed your mind at the last minute, but you wanted this. And you knew Joseph wanted it too. And what better way to go than together?

You truly believed that after this, you'd still be with Joseph in the afterlife, whatever that was. And that appealed to you, especially knowing that the horror would end as well. No more nightmares, no more monsters. No demons to whisper seductive promises at night, coaxing you into a regrettable decision.

You thought of your family, of your mother and father, even your sister. And especially your little brother. You smiled at the thought of him, maybe he was waiting for you on the other side, eager to see you again. He had been the only light in your dark childhood-and he was your only regret.

You imagined if your family was here now. This would be the one decision they would cheer you on for. And you cherished that thought as you imagined them like that all the time if you had been a normal girl. They were rooting for you, telling you what a great choice you were making, smiling as they looked at you proudly.

You felt the coldness of a tear rolling down the side of your cheek as you sadly smiled to yourself. You turned around in Joseph's arms, breathing in his scent, feeling his warmth, hearing his heartbeat. You felt more tears now, but they were happy ones this time.

"I love you." Joseph said as he rested his chin on the top of your head.

You took a deep breath before pulling your head away to look up at him. You felt sad and happy at the same time, Joseph seemed to be feeling the same way. "I'm scared." You admitted.

"Me too."

Then you hugged Joseph tightly, shutting your eyes and giving Joseph control. For you knew you didn't have the courage to take the step yourself. You felt it slowly, the movement of his legs and the flex of his muscles as he pushed the two of you forward. You felt your stomach leap and there was a lump that formed in your throat as the falling sensation began. You clutched onto Joseph tighter, fearing he'd slip from your grasp. He held on tight to you too.

And in the midst of falling, looking up at him one last time, you kissed.

Then darkness enveloped you and you felt weightless.


	16. Chapter 15: The End

The world is so full of darkness, yet so full of light. In your last moments, falling, you saw precious memories flash before your closed eyelids like a projected film. You saw parts of your childhood you didn't remember, of your family, before everything had turned sour when your parents realized you weren't just a kid with an overactive imagination. They looked happy. Your mother was smiling at you. You also saw your little brother, in times when the two of you would play outside together. He was too young to understand your problem-he probably would have resented you for it when he got older-yet at that age, he thought it was the coolest thing that you got to see things others didn't. He treated it like your superpower and wanted you to tell him about it all the time. You didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't as glamorous as he made it out to be. In fact, it was awful. But seeing this last memory of him, laughing and smiling, it put a sense of ease in your heart and you imagined him waiting for you, outstretched arms, waiting to tell you how much he missed you.

Merely seconds later, in the very last moment before it happened, you felt relief. It washed over and consumed you and you were at peace. You imagined Joseph was feeling the same way. Relieved to leave it all behind for whatever awaited you on the other side.

Weightless.

It was the only word you would have used to explain the feeling you had when it was all over. The darkness blanketed you and all your human senses seemed to shatter away. It was a sense of absolute and infinite nothing. And not like anyone on Earth could have explained it, for explaining nothing means that it's something-because you're talking about it like a being-no, this was just… nothing. There were no words for it, no way to explain how it felt, no way to tell you what it looked like or how it smelled. It was simply:

Nothing.

When you saw a light so bright it pierced your eyes and you thought you'd go blind, you felt confusion.

At first, all you saw was white, an infinite brightness. Then, as your eyes adjusted, you saw a room. It was a stark and metallic looking space with huge windows that looked outside, taking up the entire wall you were facing. And then you noticed your surroundings even more, feeling a mix of surprise, bewilderment, and uncertainty.

You found yourself in a bath tub, filled up to your chest-as you were lying down in it-with water. Underneath you and behind your head were these strange looking red pillows and you suddenly felt a strong sense of panic as you thought of Joseph.

Slowly, but franticly, you pulled yourself out of the tub and stood on your own two feet. You felt shaky, like you hadn't walked in months, and you needed a minute or two to retrain your legs to the feeling of your weight.

You moved towards the large windows, your wet clothes dripping on the solid, grey-blue stone floor. You looked out, feeling your breath catch as you saw the bustle of a city below. You recognized it only by the looming building in the distance: Beacon Mental Hospital.

This was Krimson City.

You turned around, not quite able to cope with the realization, and found yourself staring at a large, smooth, cylinder pillar-from floor to ceiling that took up most of the room-the same color as the floor and surrounded by more bath tubs. You saw your empty one and immediately next to it… was Joseph. He looked like he was asleep.

You ran to him, a little wobbly, and fell to your knees at the side of the tub as you reached in the water to try and hold him, asking him to wake up. You felt your emotions swell inside you and you started sobbing when nothing happened. If the tub had been bigger, you probably would have climbed in with him and stayed there forever, but there was no room so you just stayed at his side, pulling him against your chest.

He groaned, probably from the brightness of the sun streaming into the room-just like you had moments ago. You felt your heart stop as he woke up and was disoriented. "mmmmnnn," He mumbled as his eyes adjusted and he saw you. But then the sleepiness fell away when he saw your tear stained face, "What's wrong?" But you said nothing and just kissed him, crying even more at the feel of his lips on yours.

Joseph reached up to touch your face but stopped half way as he felt his arm come out of the water. He pulled away from you and looked around him for the first time, taking everything in. He looked confused, just as you felt, and got out of the tub with your help. He asked what the place was even though he knew you probably didn't have any answers. Then he saw the other tubs and his eyes went wide.

"Sebastian!" He called out as he ran to the tub next to his. Then he noticed several others as well: Connelly, the doctor that had been in shock when he and Castellanos had first arrived at Becon Mental Hospital and found the place in ruins, and then someone he didn't recognize, a kid in a patient gown with white hair. Joseph vaguely remembered the doctor talking about saving his someone… Leslie? He couldn't recall the name. Maybe this one was that patient?

There was also another empty tub and Joseph had a brief moment where he wondered if it belonged to Kidman. He hadn't seen any of these people while the two of you were in that nightmare but you were all here so… you must all have been in the same boat.

Then sullenly, he looked at you and saw the same emotion he was feeling right now.

"Do you think they're all still trapped?" You asked absently, staring at the sleeping bodies.

"I don't know." Joseph answered, looking back to his partner, Sebastian.

Behind the two of you, footsteps sounded. You both turned around and Joseph recognized the face instantly. He called out a name, Kidman, and she looked surprised to see him. Or at least see him up. You stayed quiet, however, and took in her appearance instead: light brown hair and pale purple eyes. She seemed almost surreal, you'd never seen anyone with eyes like that before.

"Joseph?" She replied confused, "You're awake?"

"I don't know how… The last thing I remember was-" he stopped short, not knowing nor really wanting to tell her that you and him had committed suicide together. And as depressing as that sounds, if he looked back on it, it would be a very fond memory of his that he'd cherish forever.

Kidman seemed to sense his hesitation and just shrugged it off. "Sebastian hasn't woken up yet," she changed the subject, "nor Leslie." Joseph mentally noted to give his memory more credit, he had been right in assuming it was the doctor's patient.

Some other people walked into the room then with gurneys, Kidman watched them do their job for a moment, picking up Connelly and the doctor before wheeling them away. "They didn't make it." Kidman answered Joseph's unspoken question. "They told me Connelly's most likely been dead for a while-I think he might have died after the ambulance crashed…" She looked back to the two of you then, "the doctor's pretty recent. They noticed it an hour ago but didn't think anything of it at the time. I guess we all had times of fluctuations where they thought we died but a few minutes later we'd start breathing again. I guess that wasn't the case for Marcelo." Then Kidman looked at you. You couldn't read the look in her eye and had no idea what she was thinking, it was a little unnerving. "You were the only survivor at Beacon. Out of all the staff and all of the other patients, you were the only one with vital signs. I don't know why, but I'd count yourself lucky."

Not a moment later, Sebastian nearly jumped out of the tub when he woke up, startling everyone. Kidman was the first to rush to him and help ease him into everything.

Leslie… never woke up.

Whether brain dead or simply in a coma-or still trapped in that world-no one knew. He continued breathing, but there were no other signs he ever gave off. On all accounts, he might have been dead. Eventually, probably from the lack of sustenance or fluids entering his body required to keep him alive, Leslie's body just seemed to give out on itself. The official statement on his papers stated he died of starvation and dehydration but other doctors insisted that in his state it would have been a pleasant passing.

You, in turn, would passive aggressively wonder why they never hooked him up to some kind of IV that would provide Leslie's body with the nutrition it needed. Though you never voiced that out loud. Maybe everyone involved in this just wanted the whole thing to go away, and to cover everything up now that it was finished.

Sebastian would give his official report on the events he experienced, as would Kidman, which both were more useful than Joseph's or yours as neither of you had truly come across any answers.

When all was said and done, Joseph took you home. Kidman had winked at you when she said any files on you had ' ** _mysteriously vanished_** ' and there was no record of who you were so you could… start fresh. Joseph seemed intrigued at how fascinated you were with everything. Seeing parts of the city, seeing his home, being out of that padded cell.

It was all new to you, and incredibly exciting.

And the best part? You weren't haunted anymore. Whatever terrors had gotten their enjoyment out of making your life miserable had left you be since Joseph and you had took that step.

And you were so grateful for it.


End file.
